Air conditioning and refreshing



July 10, 1934. v s.'c. ASKHAVEN 1,965,562

r v AIR CONDITIONING AND REFRESHING SYSTEM Filed March 7, 1933 'INVENTOR Jlfiif 67 45mm? 11mm 911mm mama ATTORNEY Patented July 10, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AIR CONDITIONING AND REFRESHING SYSTEM Sverre C. Askhaven, Brooklyn, 'N. Y. Application March '7, 1933, Serial No. 659,915

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to a method of conditioning and refreshing air while causing circulation of it, and it particularly relates to a circulating apparatus which is useful during the summer for utilization in offices and homes.

Air conditioning apparatus has been coming quite widely into vogue but since it is relatively expensive, its application has been limited in the domestic and office field. Most air conditioning apparatus at present utilized, is relatively expensive to buy and install. Moreover, due to the utilization of large quantities of electrical energy, this apparatus is expensive to 'operate from the viewpoint of energy consumption and often rearrangements and reconstruction of the electrical supply installations are necessary to carry the added load.

For these reasons the ordinary relatively ineffective but inexpensive electric fan is still widely utilized for office and home use. As is well known, this fan is not altogether satisfactory as it merely depends upon circulating air for any possible cooling effect and often the continual disturbance and stirring up of the hot air proves to be more undesirable than leaving air in relatively quiescent condition.

An object of the present invention is to combine the adaptability and relatively small ex- "pense of the ordinary electric fan with many of the advantageous features of airconditioning apparatus as above described.

- Another object is to provide air refreshing and conditioning means and methods in which by slight modification of the, ordinary electric fan now widely used, it is possible to greatly improve the'condition and quality of the air within a home or office without going to the expense of installing the necessary equipment requisite in the case of an air conditioning apparatus.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved. apparatus or unit of inexpensive, durable construction, the elements of which may be readily assembled as a unit in association with an electric power driven fan, and which will function to condition and refresh the air within the room.

Another object is to provide a fluid circulating system wherein the prime mover of the fan is utilized to operate a compressor which stores a compressed fluid in a chamber, the flow of said section.

In the drawing I Fig. 1 is a side elevation of one form of apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a front elevation, partly broken away and shown in section.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical Fig. 4 is a side elevation of another form of the invention, the support therefor being shown in section. f

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic chart theoretically illustratingthe operation of the device.

The embodiments of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 are shown in their application to a standard type of portable fan consisting of the electric motor 11, the shaft 12 of which supports the usual fan blades 13. The fan illustrated in, Figure 4 is of the type employed in places where it is desirable to affix the motor 14 to the roof or ceiling 15 of a compartment, such as railway vehicles and the like, wherein the shaft of the fan is suspended in a vertical position.

In accordance with the present invention, it is proposed to cool the currents of air generated by the fan 13 by circulating a cooling medium in the path of said currents. In the form of the invention shown in Figures 1 to 3, this purpose is accomplished by mounting upon the motor 11 a fluid compressor 16,-this compressor being driven from the shaft 12 of the motor through the bevel .gearing 17 and the pitman connection 18. The

ed to flow therefrom througha nipple 22, throughthe needle valve 27-, through a return pipe 52 to the rear of the cylinder 16 where it will do work upon the piston 53 of the said cylinder during the compression of the fluid or gas into the compartment or compression chamber 20. From the left hand or expansion end of the chamber 16 the expanded gas will flow through the pipe 55 into the upper portion of an annular expansidnchamber 23 constituting the circumference of a radiator 24 supported infront of the fan blades 18 by a bracket 25 secured to the motor casing 11. The flow of the cooling medium into'the cylinder 16 and the chamber 23 permits it to expand and do work and thereby become cool so as to reduce the temperature of the surfaces of the various cells 26 constituting the body of the radiator 24. The flow of they fluid from the compression chamher 20 to the radiator is controlled by a valve 27 carried by the nipple 22 and there being a dial 28 associated with the valve 27 to assist in making proper adjustments of the latter.

During the flow of the fluid through the compression chamber 20, the temperature thereof, is reduced by the currents of air from the fan 13 which radiate therefrom and impinge upon the inner surface'ofsaid chamber and this reduction of the temperature in said chamber may be further enhanced by providing the chamber at intervals with a series of radial openings 29. To further reduce the temperature of the air currents passing between the cells 26 of the radiator, some or all of these cells may be provided in the outer surfaces thereof with small apertures 30 through which the expanded cooling medium may exhaust, as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3. A drainage chamber 31'is provided at the bottom of the expansion chamber 23 for the purpose of receiving from said chamber and the cells 26 the condensate which is produced by the expansion of the cooling medium and consequent sudden reduction in temperature thereof this condensate passing from the chamber 23 through an opening 32 formed therein and being drained from the chamber 31 through a valve (not shown).

In operation the blast of air passing up through the openingsv 29 do not intermix with the actual blasts of air blown towards the objects to be cooled, but the heated air which is ejected toward the ceiling of the room will be removed from circulation and in many rooms ventilatorsmay be provided for removal of' such heated air. The air which is passed through the openings 29 and which is heated is automatically removed from the room with the result that this recirculated air is of much lower temperature.

'A chart shown in Fig. 5 briefly illustrates the thermo-dynamic theory which underlies the operationof the present invention. The full curved line denotes the temperature pressure curve for air of initial temperature while the dotted curve denotes air at 100 F, initial temperature, the ascending curves illustrating the rise of air temperature by compression while the descending curves illustrate the fallen-air temperature by expansion' The temperature drop from one curve to another at the right illustrates the fall in temperature of the air in the compression chamber brought about by external means.

The relation between the pressure and the temperature of air when only the pressure is changed by outside means, is, when:

- T1=initial temperature of air in deg. abs.

Tz=end temperature of air in deg. abs. P1=initial pressure of air in atmospheres (1 at m).

Pz=pressure of air in atmospheres By inserting the initialtemperature 80 F. and

' 100 F, and value for air 'pressure'of 1 atm., 2

' were obtained.

This 'sarnefoririula may be used for calculating the end temperature ofair when it is allowed to expand so that work is done bythe expansion.

The formula when used in this way; is applicable only to air without humidity. When humidity rises toval'us as usually found in city air in summertir'riei (7590%) the expansion temperature 'c'urvewillbesoinewhat modified.

The valve 100, diagrammatically shown onthe line 55 may be regulated so as to automatically open during any predetermined time during the stroke of the piston 55. By controlling its opening it is possible to prevent the control of the compression on the right side of the piston 53 and also to control the amount of work done by the gas in expanding from the cylinder 15 through the cylinder 16 through the line 52 to the line 53. The amount of work done by the compressed gas in expanding from the line 52 to the line 55 will decrease the load upon the motor in operating the compressor 15 and also will substantially decrease the amount of heat in the gas passing into the radiator 24.

Under certain circumstances it is possible to omit the line expansion of the compressed gas from the line 52 to the line 55 as shown and described in my prior United States application Serial No. 571,805, filed October 29, 1931.

Other means of course could be utilized for cooling the compressed gas in the chamber 20, so that the heat of the gas will be decreased before it passes into the radiator 24. In Fig. 4 the compressor 37 corresponds in function to the compressor 16 of Fig. 1, and the radiator 38 corresponds in function to the radiator 20 of Fig. 1. The radiator 38 may be conveniently positioned outside of a vehicle such as a railroad vehicle, or an automobile and the currents of air engendered during the rapid movement of the vehicle will cause the compressed air in the compartment 38 to be sufliciently cooled. The fins shown enhance the cooling effect.

What is claimed is:

1. In an air conditioning and refreshing system, a fan, a prime mover therefor, a fluid compressor supported by said prime mover, driving means for the compressor connecting the same with said prime mover, an arcuate compression chamber supported by said prime mover in the plane of said fan and in circumferential relation thereto, an expansion chamber communicating with said compression chamber, and a radiator having cells for receiving the expanded cooling medium from said expansion chamber, said radiator being supported in the path of air currents from said fan and the cells of said radiator being provided with exhaust apertures.

2. In an air conditioning and refreshing system, a fan, a prime mover therefor, a fluid compressor supported by-said prime mover, driving means for the compressor connecting the same -means for the compressor connecting the same with said prime mover, an arcuate compression chamber supported by said prime mover in the plane of said fan and in circumferential relation thereto.-an expansion chamber communicating with said compression chamber, and meansto circulate an expanded cooling medium'from said expansion chamber into the path of the'air currents from said fan.

SVERRE 'c. ASKHAVEN. 

